With events like the Panda Cosplay Party and “The Avengers” panel session with Chris Evans and Tom Hiddleston it’s no wonder event organizers are expecting over 100,000 attendees at the 2011 New York Comic Con, which runs from October 13-16. The east coast popular culture convention will run in conjunction with the New York Anime Festival but is not affiliated with San Diego Comic Con.

Thursday’s “kick-off concert” will feature guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and DJ Z-Trip. It will be at the Jacob Javits Center, where the majority of events will be held (If events are elsewhere, we have indicated below).

Between the speed dating sessions and International Quidditch Association sanctioned games, Speakeasy has separated the must-do events into their major respective categories. And a friendly reminder from New York Comic Con officials to leave the aerosol mustard and whips at home.

Books/Comics/Graphic Novels

A special edition of “Mass Effect: Invasion #1” will be available in a limited, 500-copy run only at Comic Con, with an exclusive cover by BioWare’s Ben Huen. “Mass Effect” and “Mass Effect 2” are well-known to gamers.

Kevin Sorbo (remember Xena and Hercules?) will be signing copies of his book “True Strength” for nine straight hours on Friday.

Named on the the Top 10 graphic novels of all time by Time Magazine, Jeff Smith’s bestselling “Bone” saga is turning 20. All people “Bone” will be there alongside Smith. They will discuss the genealogy of “Bone” and swag is guaranteed. (Saturday at 3:45 p.m.)

Marvel: Women of Marvel is a panel discussion on what it’s like working as a women in the comic book world today. (Sunday, 11:15 a.m.)

Food

The executive chef of wd~50 Wylie Dufresne, known for his molecular gastronomy, will chat with Marvel executive C.B. Cebulski about the intersection of foodie and comics culture. (Friday, 2:45 p.m.)

Film

George Lucas’s decade-in-the-making “Red Tails” will arrive in theaters on Jan. 20, 2012. Actors, visual-effects artists and one of the original Tuskegee Airman (on whom the film is based) will be on hand on to discuss the process of creating an aerial dogfight. (Saturday, 12:15 p.m., American Airlines Theater)

Besides playing Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill is an avid comic book collector. He created his own comic anti-hero in The Black Pearl for Dark Horse Comics and will star in the film adaptation of “New-Gen.” (Friday at 7:30 at MTV Theater and Saturday, 1:30 p.m., American Airlines Theater)

Chris Evans and Tom Hiddleston join forces to present “The Avengers.” The superhero team-up is the culmination of years of cinematic planning but the end product is finally on the horizon. The panel will include never-before-seen footage and even more surprise guests. (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., IGN Theater)

From the man that brought the world “Animal House,” “Blues Brothers,” “An American Werewolf in London,” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, filmmaker John Landis will be on hand to discuss many of the monsters, aerial and nocturnal alike, to grace the silver screen. (Saturday, 3:45 p.m.)

Gaming

The convention will offer attendees the first hands-on chance to play Activision’s “Prototype 2” (set for release on April 24, 2012), as well as the first “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (also to be released early next year) show matches. Two separate teams will test the game live (Friday).

Intel Extreme Masters worldwide pro gaming league will hold their third Global Challenge of the 2011/12 season at New York Comic Con. The tournament will feature competition of Counter-Strike 1.6, League of Legends​ and StarCraft 2. The top two players and teams from each game will be granted slots in the World Championship tournament. A prize purse of $93,000 is available for participants.

“Panda Cosplay Party” Short for “costume play” cosplay is a type of performance art where participants use their outfits to represent ideas or characters. There’s no admission fee with a flyer or costume. (Saturday, 8 p.m. atPanda)

Television

Maggie Q, Lyndsy Fonseca and Shane West from The CW’s “Nikita” will be on hand to discuss the second season and watch the video presentation with the audience (Saturday, 2:45 p.m., IGN Theater)

“The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman and producer Gale Anne Hurd plan to discuss season two of the AMC show. A preview of new footage from the upcoming season is also part of the event. (Saturday, 5:15 p.m., IGN Theater)

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.